Dark ride specialist Sally Corporation and Herschend Enterprises, the largest family-owned attractions corporation in the US are to develop a SPLASH AND BUBBLES family dark ride.
The companies plan to bring the popular children’s show to life in a new themed attraction.
The hit animated show Splash and Bubbles is co-produced by The Jim Henson Company and Herschend Studios. The latter is Herschend Enterprises’ media arm. The Jim Henson
Company is a world leader and innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation.
The show encourages children to discover more about marine biology. They do this through the adventures of Splash (a yellowback fusilier fish) and his best friend Bubbles, (a Mandarin dragonet).
Sally Corp to create family dark ride
The character driven comedy is shown every day on PBS stations across the US. Splash and Bubbles ranks among the top five PBS KIDS series for children ages 2-8 every month. It is also available worldwide on Netflix and via broadcast in international territories.
The deal between Herschend and Sally is the first time the two companies have partnered on a ride like this. Sally Corp recently revealed the new attraction concept at the IAAPA Attractions Expo. This was held in Orlando and is the largest such convention in the theme park business. This year it had over 37,000 attendees. In addition to providing Sally Corp the development rights, Herschend has also developed a line of custom branded merchandise. This includes plush and clothing.
Sally Corp. which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, will be creative producer of the family dark ride. It will manage and driving the overall development, marketing and distribution
of the ride.
Andrew Wexler is Herschend’s CEO. He says, “For more than half a century, Herschend has created family-centric attractions and experiences which engage audiences in innovative ways. Now, coupling with Sally Corporation’s vast expertise developing interactive, compelling dark rides, we are well-equipped to give families a new way to experience this beloved series and its wonderful characters in a variety of venues including theme parks, aquariums and other entertainment settings”.
The Jim Henson Company and Herschend Studios
John Wood is Sally Corporation’s Chairman & CEO. He says,”Splash and Bubbles presents an excellent opportunity to provide family fun to a whole new sector of the theme park industry including water parks and aquariums. Working with a proven intellectual property from The Jim Henson Company and Herschend Studios gives us an excellent platform to create a truly magical experience in a ride-through attraction that can be both meaningful and fun. We are very excited about the opportunity”.
Splash and Bubbles is a production of The Jim Henson Company and Herschend Studios. It was created by John Tartaglia. Executive producers are Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford of The Jim Henson Company and Julie Phillips and Merrill Puckett Miller of Herschend Enterprises with Tartaglia, Michael Shawn Lewis and Jill Shinderman. The Jim Henson Company also oversees all distribution and merchandising for the property. Herschend Enterprises administers all location-based themed entertainment rights. This includes live-shows.
